Paradise...Or Something Like It

By Alicia Marie Jennings
Genre: Romance/Drama
Keywords: Harry/Hermione

CHAPTER ONEAnneli

The night was dark and cold. But really, it was more lonely than cold. Twenty-one year old Harry Potter leaned against a wall in Westling Alley, an offshoot of Diagon Alley, hands stuffed in his pockets, wondering what to do and where to go. He didn't have a girlfriend so he didn't have a date; he found that most of the girls who pursued him were shallow and only cared for his looks and fame, not the person inside. His thoughts flickered to the one girl he'd known that hadn't befriended him because of those things.

Hermione Anne Elizabeth Granger.

He and Ron had lost touch with Hermione, and their owl post couldn't find her. The three of them had been through a terrible near-death experience with Voldemort, and it had traumatized Hermione. He and Ron looked everywhere, but no one could find where the clever young woman had disappeared to. They'd looked for her parents, but they'd disappeared, or so it seemed, also. Harry had suspicions that she was working for W.I.D., or Wizarding Intelligence Department. They'd tracked her down when she was a seventh year at Hogwarts and offered her a job right after she graduated. She'd told them no, but Harry thought that maybe, just maybe, she might've changed her mind. Harry's thoughts crossed another possibility - Voldemort. He shuddered, imagining what Voldemort would have done to one of his best friends.

Harry looked down the street again, looking for a warm place and possibly a brandy or two. A small pub was down the lane to his left, its' windows glowing with golden light. He hesitated a moment, then walked down to it and entered, carefully adjusting his hat and bangs so that his scar wouldn't be seen. He wanted to be alone tonight.

Rock music blasted from a radio in the corner. A small platform was beside the large radio, where Harry presumed they had musical acts. And in another corner, there were some booths that reminded him of the booths at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. The bar was immediately to his left. He sat down on one of the dark red leather stools, still looking around the place.

The bartender, a middle-aged man with sandy hair, smiled at him. "Wha' can I get ye to drink, sir?"

"Scotch, please." Harry slapped some coins down on the table, and received his drink. As he took a sip, the platform by the radio became illuminated with spotlights.

The man sitting next to Harry, who was middle-aged, began yelling and clapping, like the many others around him. Then Harry realized something. There were only men in this bar.

"What's going on?" he yelled to the man next to him.

"Girls, man! The girls are about to come on!"

"What girls?" Harry asked stupidly. Luckily, the man didn't hear him. A door opened and the "girls" came on the stage.

Harry choked on his scotch, realizing what the man was so excited about. These girls weren't wearing much of anything at all. Tiny bikinis, so tiny that Harry wondered if some double-sided tape was hidden in there somewhere. His face turned red at the thought. All of them were pretty, but most attentions went to the girl in the center. She had dark blonde hair, in curls halfway down her back. She had generous curves, in all the right places, with a slim waist. They began dancing to the music on the radio, much to the men's approval.

"Who's the one in the middle?" Harry shouted to the man beside him over the music.

"Anneli," he answered back, before tossing money onto the stage.

Harry went back to his second scotch. He had no time for women. Most of all, he didn't have the patience. They were so complicated. The song ended, and the girls came out into the audience, hanging on the men, and picking up money off of all of them, giggling and laughing in high pitches.

"What's up there, big boy?" drawled a voice behind him. Harry choked on his scotch again, then turned.

It was the one with the curly blonde hair. She twirled a curl around a finger, and with the other hand wrapped around the back of his neck. "A man like you shouldn't be out alone. Where's your girl?" Her eyes were a deep, rich brown color, that he thought he might've seen somewhere, but he pushed that thought away.

"I....uh...don't have one," he choked out. His hormones were beginning to get the better of his speech.

"Well..." she said, practically sitting down in his lap, "Maybe we should get to know each other a little better."

Harry's speech continued to worsen, partly because of the incredibly beautiful scantily clad woman on his lap, and partly due to the fact he couldn't hold his liquor worth hell. "How much?"

She chuckled. "Oh, for you, an incredibly low price....maybe even free." She grabbed his hand, pulling him through the crowd, out of the bar and into a hallway. Then she led him into a room and shut the door behind them. It was very dark.

"Now," she said, sitting on the bed, "Prelims, or no prelims, just doing it? Personally, I like the latter."

Harry supposed that sounded pretty good to him. They kissed, a kiss with burning passion and desire from both sides, Anneli's hands snaking around his neck, his around her waist, moving up. That little bit of cloth was in his way. He untied it, and it fell onto the sheets.

~*~*~*~*~

Harry awoke around two o' clock. At first, he was confused, sleeping in an unknown bed with a pounding headache. Then it all came back to him as the girl beside him stirred. They kissed again, with just as much passion as they had a few hours earlier. He drew back, and noticed something he hadn't noticed before.

Right above her left breast was a strange, small scar, much like the one on his forehead, the mark of a deadly curse. She noticed his stare. "Oh, that....just a Muggle car accident. Happened a couple of years ago."
"That was no car accident," Harry said shortly. And then it clicked in his head. In their experience with Voldemort, the dark wizard had thrown a deadly curse at Hermione. But Harry had shielded her with a rare charm that only he and a few other wizards had been able to perform, and the curse only gave her a small scar on the left side of her chest. He looked into her face, blinking, trying to clear his vision. "Hermione. It's me."

It was the girl's turn to blink, and she swept Harry's bangs aside. "Oh my God....Harry....What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he pointed out.

"You first," she said, standing up and walking over to the dresser, throwing on an old shirt. He recognized it as one of his old Quidditch team T-shirts.

"Came here for a drink. Didn't expect to get picked up by a scarlet woman," he retorted. "Now for your side of the story. Where have you been for these past few years? Here?"

"No," she snapped, sitting back down on the bed. "I haven't been playing the harlot since graduation. My parents and I got kidnapped by a gang of Death Eaters. I was freed six months ago. My parents weren't so lucky." Hermione blinked back tears, and took a deep breath. "They were killed a few months prior to my release."

"I'm so sorry," Harry said softly.

Hermione shook her head. "Isn't your fault. When I was released, I started looking for a job that didn't require a lot of magic, and I saw a waitressing ad. So, I went for the interview and I got the job. Only, it didn't exactly turn out to be a waitressing job."

"This?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah. The owner knew I was just released from the Death Eaters, and so he said that if I quit or tried to run away he'd tell Voldemort. So I've been stuck here. Oh, by the way...." She held out a Muggle coffee can. "Pay up."

"What?"

"You heard me! Pay up. I'm supposed to be giving you the best night of your life right now, not my life story, and I have a quota to meet. Pay up."

Harry dropped some money in. "Quota?"

"Yeah. If each of us girls doesn't make at least 25 Galleons in a night......it's bad. So -" She put the coffee can back under the bed. "Where's Ron? How is he?"

Harry shrugged. "Fine, I guess. He and Lavender are engaged. They've both been worried sick about you."

"Stupid Fudge. If he actually would take some action, all of these kidnappings wouldn't be happening." She shook her head. "And Dumbledore?"

"Still leading the fight against Voldemort and managing Hogwarts at the same time. He's been trying to find you too."

Hermione sighed. "I've missed them all so much. I've missed you and Ron so much, too. Three years in a dark, damp cell is enough to make anyone miss someone so much it aches. I'd go to sleep, and I'd dream about the three of us while we were at Hogwarts. I'd wake up, and I'd hear your voices in the halls..." She sniffed, and Harry put his arms around her.

"It'll be okay, Hermione. I'm going to get you out of here, and back to my flat, and we'll get you back into the real world and away from Voldemort and all of his little cronies, okay? I promise." He let her cry, for what seemed an eternity, and her sobs finally subsided.

"Sorry," she whispered, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "It's just that seeing you finally is such a relief."

Harry didn't know what to say, so he stroked her hair, and rocked her gently, comforting her the only way he knew how. Suddenly, she froze. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Footsteps," she croaked. "Quick, under the covers." She slipped the t-shirt off and ducked under the covers beside him. He felt her tremble, and the door opened.

"Anneli, he's had long enough." Harry recognized the voice as the man who'd been sitting beside him at the bar, and suddenly he felt braver.

"I'll pay double if I can stay until morning," he said, his voice muffled by the sheets.

"How much has he paid?"

Hermione's voice shook slightly as she said, "Thirteen Galleons, sir."

"Very well." The door shut, and Hermione breathed a very small sigh of relief, grabbing her T-shirt again.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"My pleasure," he answered. "After all, I am getting to see one of my best friends almost completely naked, and it's the one best friend I wouldn't mind seeing naked."

Hermione shoved him. "Harry, when I'm outta here, you're going to pay for that. Besides, this is strictly professional." Harry snorted. "Well it is, whether by choice or not. So get over it. Now, how are we getting out of here?"

Harry sighed. "Well, I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

"What's that?"

"I buy you off of them."

"It's violating all of the laws of the wizarding world, but I like anything that'll get me out of this hellhole."

"Then it's settled." Harry held out his hand, and then drew it back. "C'mon, can't I get more than a handshake? I liked that kiss a while ago."

Hermione leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "G'night, Harry."

"Not fair!"

"Good night."

"Please?"
"Harry, for God's sake, good night!"

~

When Harry awoke again, it was still dark outside, and through the small window he could see stars. He looked at his watch - 5 a.m. Hermione had her head on his chest, her breathing soft and rhythmic. "Hermione," he whispered. " 'Mione."

She stirred. "Hmm?"

"Maybe we should pack your stuff. There isn't much, but all the same."

"Okay," she murmured sleepily, rubbing her eyes and brushing stray strands of hair out of her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Five. But I wanna be out of here early."

"The boss'll be up and in the bar at six. That'll give us plenty of time. I don't have much to pack...I really don't have that many clothes," she said absentmindedly, emptying the contents of her drawers into a suitcase. She missed Harry's snort of laughter. "Turn 'round, I gotta get dressed."

"Is there anything I haven't seen?" said Harry, exasperated. But he turned around at the look that he received at his smart-aleck remark. Hermione dressed quickly, and began to brush her hair so fast that electric sparks crackled.

"Whoa! Slow down, little bookworm! We've got forty-five minutes!" Harry took the brush from her and began to gently brush her long, curly locks. "You're acting like you're late for Judgement Day."

"Depending on how this plan goes, I might be acting accordingly," she said, turning her back to him so he could brush her hair. "D'you know how long it's been since someone else brushed my hair?"

"A while?"

"Yeah. A long time. I don't think I've ever had a guy brush my hair. Where'd you learn to use a brush, anyway?" she teased.

"Haha. Don't insult the one who holds the brush," he said, brushing through a snarl, causing Hermione to wince. "So, how much d'you think you're going to cost me?"

Hermione shrugged. "I have no idea. He's sold other girls before, but I never heard the price." She looked at the bedside clock. "It's almost time. I'm going to say good-bye to the other girls." She jumped off the bed, and went back to the chest-of-drawers, tugging it away from the wall, where there was an air vent. "Selena! Wake up! Get the others to come in here"

"What the bloody hell's going on?"

"You'll see, just get in here." Hermione moved the drawers back into place, ending the conversation. "Is it all right if we tell them who we really are?"

Harry thought for a moment. "I dunno....can we trust them?"
Hermione nodded. "I would trust them with my life."

"I trust you with my life, and I believe you, so go ahead. I just hope they get here soon -" His words were cut off when he heard a creak. "What was that?"
"You'll see." Hermione grinned. "It's a little secret passageway we discovered. Selena can go to Linne and Brita's rooms upstairs, and there was a door leading down here in Brita's room." There was a *Flooomp* as three girls in pajamas landed on Hermione's bed. "It's right over the bed."

"I can see that," said Harry, looking at the ceiling. The girls got up, dusting themselves off. Hermione hugged them all.

"I'm finally leaving, I'm being bought," she told them, happy tears in her eyes. "One of my friends was in the bar last night, and I brought him here as a customer, but then found out his real identity. He's gonna buy me off of the boss."

"Oh, all right, I'll show them..." Harry said gruffly. He swept his bangs off his forehead, exposing his lightening-shaped scar. The girls gasped.

"Harry Potter...." said the raven-haired one. "I'm Brita."

"And I'm Linne," said the red-haired one.

"And I'm Selena," said the girl with brown hair. "Is this the guy you're always talking about, Anneli? The one you went to school with?"

"The one and same," said Hermione, grinning. "And there's something else I need to tell you. I'm not Anneli Bradenhurst."

"You're not?" Linne looked bewildered.

"No. I'm Hermione Granger."

A flurry of questions erupted from the three girls.

"The one who was Head Girl at Hogwarts?"

"The one who helped the captives escape at The Battle of Brundein?"

"The one who dueled with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley against Voldemort and his Death Eaters and survived a deadly curse and won?"

"The one who went missing?"
"The one and same," said Hermione, smiling. "Have I really done all that? Harry gets the credit for me surviving Avada Kedavra. If not for him, I wouldn't be here."

Selena shook her head. "A hero living with us and we didn't know it."

"Too bad they took away your wand," said Brita. "The boss's got it in his office though. Maybe you can get it back when you leave."

"Correction - Harry will get it when we leave. I'm his property now, remember? You can't let anyone here know who I really am, okay? This is strictly between us. Many people's lives would be in danger if my real identity was made known. The only one who knows is the boss."

"Mum's the word," said Linne, clamping her lips shut.

"We wish you well," said Selena, smiling at Hermione. "Get Ron Weasley to come here and buy us out....we'd have seen the whole trio then."

Everyone laughed, and Harry picked up Hermione's bags. "I guess we're off. It was nice meeting you all. If I can, I'll get something done about this." There was no need to define "this".

"We appreciate it," said Brita, her eyes rimming with tears. "May God's angels protect you and watch over you."

After last hugs and goodbyes, Harry and Hermione made their way downstairs to the bar area. As Hermione said, the boss was down there, surrounded by three colleagues. Harry was strongly reminded of Draco Malfoy. "Hello, sir," he called across the room.

"Ah, good morning," said The Boss. "I trust you had a pleasant night?"

"The best," Harry assured him. "In fact, I've come to make a deal with you. How much would you sell her to me for?"

The Boss looked thoughtful. "Well.....she wasn't exactly up for sale, Mr..."

"Dursley," said Harry, saying the first name that popped into his mind. "Vernon Dursley. I run my own business in Ireland. The money's all over there with those Irishmen, they say."

"Yes, yes," said The Boss. "But Anneli here is my prettiest girl. If I sell her, my business might drop."

"Seventy-five Galleons." Harry's grip on Hermione's hand tightened. She could tell he was nervous.

"Seventy-five? For a girl like Anneli? At least a hundred, Mr. Dursley."

"A hundred it is then," said Harry, sick of the ordeal.

"Sold. When can I expect the payment?"

"As soon as I can go to Gringotts, sir. Just hand me over her wand and we'll be on our way there."

The Boss beckoned his cronies. "Go get Anneli's papers and her wand. Top drawer of the cabinet. Sign this form," said The Boss to Harry. The cronies left The Boss, Harry, and Hermione in uncomfortable silence. The two fidgeted nervously, tapping feet against the floor and fingers on the table, until The Boss gave them each a look. They soon returned with the files and, much to Harry and Hermione's relief, a long, narrow box sure to contain her wand.

"Thank you sir, it was was a pleasure doing business with you. I'll have the money sent by today. Good day to you." Harry and Hermione controlled their pace as they walked to the door, out of the dark room and into the early morning sunshine.

"Keep walking," Harry murmurred out of the side of his mouth. "Keep walking, not too fast but not too slow. We're almost to Diagon Alley."

"Freedom," Hermione whispered. "Just a little bit further." And then the gates opened to the familiar, cheery Diagon Alley. Hermione looked around at the bright buildings and the cheery faces, and then broke down and began to cry.

Freedom....for the first time in almost three very long years. Freedom.